My Three Sons (TV Series 1960–1972) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error Widower Steve Douglas raises three sons with the help of his father-in-law, and is later aided by the boys' great-uncle. An adopted son, a stepdaughter, wives, and another generation of sons join the loving family in later seasons. Stars: Robbie is head of the committee for decorating the school float for a parade. He comes up with an idea that seems scandalous. Chip has romance problems with someone who is older than he. 8.3 Guest in the House Steve is asked to take in a boy who is a delinquent. When Steve has to be out of town that week, it is Bob and the boys to handle the visit. When someone comes to the house, they assume it is the ... 8.2 Rob gets an audition at a club and is given a job to play his guitar there some evenings. His girlfriend introduces him to her friends and Rob experiences a new lifestyle.

8.2 a list of 30 titles created 13 Feb 2012 a list of 30 titles created 18 Feb 2014 a list of 39 images created 19 May 2014 a list of 35 images created 27 Nov 2014 a list of 38 titles created 2 weeks ago Title: My Three Sons (1960–1972) 7.1/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 9 nominations. See more awards » Photos Bill Davis is a highly paid and successful engineer living in a large apartment in New York with his valet, Mr. Giles French . His life is suddenly changed when his niece, Buffy shows up. ... See full summary » Stars: Brian Keith, Kathy Garver, Anissa Jones The misadventures of a suburban boy, family and friends. Stars: Jerry Mathers, Hugh Beaumont, Barbara Billingsley Widower Tom Corbett raises his young son Eddie.

Stars: Bill Bixby, Brandon Cruz, Miyoshi Umeki A New York City attorney and his wife attempt to live as genteel farmers in the bizarre community of Hooterville. Stars: Eddie Albert, Eva Gabor, Tom Lester A nouveau riche hillbilly family moves to Beverly Hills and shakes up the privileged society with their hayseed ways. Stars: Buddy Ebsen, Donna Douglas, Irene Ryan Danny Williams, a successful nightclub singer, encounters a variety of difficult or amusing situations in trying to balance his career with his family: his outspoken wife Kathy, teenage ... See full summary » Stars: Danny Thomas, Rusty Hamer, Marjorie Lord As the sons age, we go through their teenage dating problems, marriage and careers. Stars: Ozzie Nelson, Harriet Nelson, David Nelson The popular radio show comes to life in this hit sitcom about a wise family man, Jim Anderson, his common-sense wife Margaret and their children Betty, Bud and Kathy. Whenever the kids need... See full summary » Stars: Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Billy Gray The misadventures of a TV writer both at work and at home.

Stars: Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie The humourous adventures of a family of pop musicians. Stars: Shirley Jones, David Cassidy, Susan Dey The misadventures of two single women in the 1950s and '60s. Stars: Penny Marshall, Cindy Williams, David L. Lander Widower Sheriff Andy and his son Opie live with Andy's Aunt Bee in Mayberry NC. With virtually no crimes to solve, most of Andy's time is spent philosophizing and calming down his cousin Deputy Barney. Stars: Andy Griffith, Ron Howard, Don Knotts Edit Storyline Widower Steven Douglas is left to bring up three boys all by himself with the aide of his housekeeper "Uncle Charlie". The series revolves around the trials and tribulations of life's experiences as a single parent family. Written by <danbo@scorpius-inc.com> See All (18) » Taglines: Fred MacMurray learns boys will be boys as he tries to keep order in his household. In color.

(season seven) Genres: 29 September 1960 (USA) See more » Also Known As: Mis tres hijos See more » Filming Locations: Charley was Bub's brother. See more » Quotes Ernie Douglas : Do you think the house is going to miss us? Charley O'Casey : Sure, it'll miss us. The minute we get out of sight, it's going to break right down and start to cry out of all the faucets. The neighbors will sell tickets to see the crying house. Steve Douglas : I'd like to think the house is going to miss us, Charley. Charley O'Casey : Look, are we going to California, or are we going to stand here waving bye-bye to a pile of lumber? Steve Douglas : Charley's right, fellas. Let's all...let's all pile in. Charley O'Casey : Come on, let's go. Come on, move. Almost Like Two Different Shows 15 June 2003 | by rekrab06 (USA) – See all my reviews Because of its many changes over the years, My Three Sons seemed almost like two different shows.

Both were very good, but I prefer the earlier episodes, the black & white ones. They had a certain charm to them that was missing in later years. Robby somehow never seemed to fit the eldest brother role the way Mike did. That, and the move from Bryant Park, Michigan out to Los Angeles took away the small town feel that the earlier episodes had. Then came the arrival of women into the family, and that changed everything. For the first five seasons, 1960-61 to 1964-65, the show was aired on ABC and filmed in black & white. For the last seven seasons, 1965-66 to 1971-72, it was aired on CBS and filmed in color. For the first 4.5 seasons, the boys "nanny" was their grandfather Bub, for the last 7.5 seasons it was their great uncle Charlie. For the first 5 seasons, the sons were Mike, Robby, and Chip, for the last 7 seasons the sons were Robby, Chip, and Ernie.

William Frawley left the show halfway through the 1964-65 due to ill health (he died in 1966). In the story line, Bub went over to Ireland to visit relatives and decided to stay there. Shortly after his departure, his brother Charlie arrived for a visit, and ended-up staying for the rest of the shows run. After the end of that season, Bub was never referred to again. In the first episode of the 1965-66 season, Mike married his girlfriend Sally and moved to another town to take a job. This marked Tim Considine's departure from the series. To re-establish the "three sons" storyline, Steve Douglas adopted Chip's friend Ernie, who had recently become an orphan. Mike was never seen again (not even when Steve married Barbara) and was only sporadically referred to thereafter. More bits of trivia: Before being cast as Katie, Tina Cole had appeared several years earlier(in the black & white days) as Ina, one of Robbys friends. Stanley Livingston and Barry Livingston are brothers. Before being adopted by the Douglases, Ernies last name was Thompson.

Years later, Chip married Polly Thompson, no relation to Ernie. When Robby and Katie had kids, it was triplets. They were all boys, thus keeping with the "three sons" theme. Originally, the show was going to be called "The Fred MacMurray Show", but MacMurray objected to that, so the title was changed. In its early years, My Three Sons was sponsored by Chevrolet, thus Chevy cars were seen behind the closing credits. There are two syndication packages for My Three Sons. One package consists of the first five seasons (the black & white ones) and the final season. The other package contains the other six seasons. Why it is done this way I don't know, it doesn't make sense to me. I would think they would just have the B&W episodes as one package and the color episodes as the other. 22 of 24 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Yes Fred MacMurray - Biography - IMDb Fred MacMurray Biography Showing all 80 items Jump to: Overview (5) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (2) | Trade Mark (3) | Trivia (64) | Personal Quotes (5) Overview (5) 30 August 1908 , Kankakee, Illinois, USA Date of Death 5 November 1991 , Santa Monica, California, USA (pneumonia, pulmonary edema, sepsis syndrome, urinary tract infection, chronic lymphocytic leukemia) Birth Name 6' 3" (1.91 m) Mini Bio (1) Fred MacMurray was likely the most underrated actor of his generation. True, his earliest work is mostly dismissed as pedestrian, but no other actor working in the 1940s and 50s was able to score so supremely whenever cast against type. Frederick Martin MacMurray was born in Kankakee, Illinois, to Maleta Martin and Frederick MacMurray. His father had Scottish ancestry and his mother's family was German. His father's sister was vaudeville performer and actress Fay Holderness .

When MacMurray was five years old, the family moved to Beaver Dam in Wisconsin, his parents' birth state. He graduated from Beaver Dam High School (later the site of Beaver Dam Middle School), where he was a three-sport star in football, baseball, and basketball. Fred retained a special place in his heart for his small-town Wisconsin upbringing, referring at any opportunity in magazine articles or interviews to the lifelong friends and cherished memories of Beaver Dam, even including mementos of his childhood in several of his films. In "Pardon my Past", Fred and fellow GI William Demarest are moving to Beaver Dam, WI to start a mink farm. MacMurray earned a full scholarship to attend Carroll College in Waukesha, Wisconsin and had ambitions to become a musician. In college, MacMurray participated in numerous local bands, playing the saxophone. In 1930, he played saxophone in the Gus Arnheim and his Coconut Grove Orchestra when Bing Crosby was the lead vocalist and Russ Columbo was in the violin section. MacMurray recorded a vocal with Arnheim's orchestra "All I Want Is Just One Girl" -- Victor 22384, 3/20/30.

He appeared on Broadway in the 1930 hit production of "Three's a Crowd" starring Sydney Greenstreet , Clifton Webb and Libby Holman . He next worked alongside Bob Hope in the 1933 production of "Roberta" before he signed on with Paramount Pictures in 1934 for the then-standard 7-year contract (the hit show made Bob Hope a star and he was also signed by Paramount). MacMurray married Lillian Lamont (D: June 22, 1953) on June 20, 1936, and they adopted two children. Although his early film work is largely overlooked by film historians and critics today, he rose steadily within the ranks of Paramount's contract stars, working with some of Hollywood's greatest talents, including wunderkind writer-director Preston Sturges (whom he intensely disliked) and actors Humphrey Bogart and Marlene Dietrich . Although the majority of his films of the 30's can largely be dismissed as standard fare there are exceptions: he played opposite Claudette Colbert in seven films, beginning with The Gilded Lily (1935).

He also co-starred with Katharine Hepburn in the classic, Alice Adams (1935), and with Carole Lombard in Hands Across the Table (1935), The Trail of the Lonesome Pine (1936) -- an ambitious early outdoor 3-strip Technicolor hit, co-starring with Henry Fonda and Sylvia Sidney directed by Henry Hathaway -- The Princess Comes Across (1936), and True Confession (1937). MacMurray spent the decade learning his craft and developing a reputation as a solid actor. In an interesting sidebar, artist C.C. Beck used MacMurray as the initial model for a superhero character who would become Fawcett Comics' Captain Marvel in 1939. The 1940s gave him his chance to shine. He proved himself in melodramas such as Above Suspicion (1943) and musicals ( Where Do We Go from Here? (1945)), somewhat ironically becoming one of Hollywood's highest-paid actors by 1943, when his salary reached $420,000.

He scored a huge hit with the thoroughly entertaining The Egg and I (1947), again teamed with Ms. Colbert and today largely remembered for launching the long-running Ma and Pa Kettle franchise. In 1941, MacMurray purchased a large parcel of land in Sonoma County, California and began a winery/cattle ranch. He raised his family on the ranch and it became the home to his second wife, June Haver after their marriage in 1954. The winery remains in operation today in the capable hands of their daughter, Kate MacMurray. Despite being habitually typecast as a "nice guy", MacMurray often said that his best roles were when he was cast against type by Billy Wilder . In 1944, he played the role of "Walter Neff", an insurance salesman (numerous other actors had turned the role down) who plots with a greedy wife Barbara Stanwyck to murder her husband in Double Indemnity (1944) -- inarguably the greatest role of his entire career. Indeed, anyone today having any doubts as to his potential depth as an actor should watch this film.

He did another stellar turn in the "not so nice" category, playing the cynical, spineless "Lieutenant Thomas Keefer" in the 1954 production of The Caine Mutiny (1954), directed by Edward Dmytryk . He gave another superb dramatic performance cast against type as a hard-boiled crooked cop in Pushover (1954). Despite these and other successes, his career waned considerably by the late 1950s and he finished out the decade working in a handful of non-descript westerns. MacMurray's career got its second wind beginning in 1959 when he was cast as the dog-hating father figure (well, he was a retired mailman) in the first Walt Disney live-action comedy, The Shaggy Dog (1959). The film was an enormous hit and Uncle Walt green lighted several projects around his middle-aged star.

Billy Wilder came calling again and he did a masterful turn in the role of Jeff Sheldrake, a two-timing corporate executive in Wilder's Oscar-winning comedy-drama The Apartment (1960), with Shirley MacLaine and Jack Lemmon -- arguably his second greatest role and the last one to really challenge him as an actor. Although this role would ultimately be remembered as his last great performance, he continued with the lightweight Disney comedies while pulling double duty, thanks to an exceptionally generous contract, on TV. MacMurray was cast in 1961 as Professor Ned Brainerd in Disney's The Absent Minded Professor (1961) and in its superior sequel, Son of Flubber (1963). These hit Disney comedies raised his late-career profile considerably and producer Don Fedderson beckoned with My Three Sons (1960) debuting in 1960 on ABC. The gentle sitcom staple remained on the air for 12 seasons (380 episodes). Concerned about his work load and time away from his ranch and family, Fred played hardball with his series contract.

In addition to his generous salary, the "Sons" contract was written so that all the scenes requiring his presence to be shot first, requiring him to work only 65 days per season on the show (the contract was reportedly used as an example by Dean Martin when negotiating the wildly generous terms contained in his later variety show contract). This requirement meant the series actors had to work with stand-ins and posed wardrobe continuity issues. The series moved without a hitch to CBS in the fall of 1965 in color after ABC, then still an also-ran network with its eyes peeled on the bottom line, refused to increase the budget required for color production (color became a U.S. industry standard in the 1968 season). This freed him to pursue his film work, family, ranch, and his principal hobby, golf. Politically very conservative, MacMurray was a staunch supporter of the Republican Party; he joined his old friend Bob Hope and James Stewart in campaigning for Richard Nixon in 1968. He was also widely known one of the most -- to be polite -- frugal actors in the business. Stories floated around the industry in the 60s regarding famous hard-boiled egg brown bag lunches and stingy tips.

After the cancellation of My Three Sons in 1972, MacMurray made only a few more film appearances before retiring to his ranch in 1978. As a result of a long battle with leukemia, MacMurray died of pneumonia at the age of eighty-three in Santa Monica on November 5, 1991. He was buried in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City. Personal friends with Walt Disney . Interred at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California, USA, in the Mausoleum, D1, Room 7. Adopted twin daughters, Kathryn and Laurie (b. 1956), with Haver. The Untouchables (1959). He was also the first choice to play the title role on TV's Perry Mason (1957). At his insistence, all episodes of My Three Sons (1960) were filmed out of sequence during the show's entire run. He would do all of his scenes first, then leave until the next season. All kitchen scenes would be done together, then all scenes in the upstairs hallway would be filmed together, etc. This fact was well concealed until Dawn Lyn joined the cast as Dodie.

Her upper front teeth grew in irregularly during the entire 1969-'70 season, from being barely visible in scenes with MacMurray to being plainly visible in scenes without him. Portrayed George Harvey, star reporter for the Hillsdale Morning Star, on NBC Radio's "Bright Star" (1952-1953). Steve Douglas, MacMurray's character on My Three Sons (1960), was ranked #7 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" [20 June 2004 issue]. 1987: First person to be named a Disney Legend. 1970s: He was most often seen doing commercials for a video teaching "Chisenbop," a Korean method of doing math on your fingers. His daughter Susan was born in 1942. His son Robert was born in 1945. He was a staunch supporter of the Republican Party who joined Bob Hope and James Stewart in campaigning for Richard Nixon in 1968. Best remembered by the public for starring as father figures in Walt Disney movies.

When offered the job as the dad on My Three Sons (1960), he was given a dream contract in which he only had to work 65 days a year on the series. The supporting cast, as a result, often had to shoot their scenes opposite a prop person off camera instead of Fred. The popular series ran 12 seasons. He and wife June Haver were once offered a husband-and-wife sitcom but Fred refused, afraid of putting his marriage in jeopardy by the pressures. Met first wife Lillian ("Lily") Lamonte while performing on Broadway in "Roberta" in 1933. She was a dancer. Played vaudeville with a stage band called "The California Collegians". The group was cast in a Broadway revue called "Three's a Crowd" in 1930 that showcased such star talent as Fred Allen , Clifton Webb and chanteuse Libby Holman . Holman sang the torch song "Something to Remember You By" to Fred in the show. The Collegians were also featured in the Broadway musical "Roberta", in which Fred also understudied the lead. One of his first jobs in Los Angeles was playing in a pit orchestra for an L.A.

theater. Once studied art at the Chicago Art Institute. Quite the high school athlete. He won ten letters for athletics and a scholarship to Carroll College in Wisconsin to play football. He played the saxophone for extra money while there. Made his debut on stage playing the violin alongside his father, but the experience left him with a terrible case of stage fright. Later he overcame it and learned the piano, guitar and saxophone, which he played in his high school band. Was in consideration for the role of Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard (1950) but William Holden , who received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his performance, was cast instead. Initially turned down his most famous movie role in Double Indemnity (1944) because he didn't think his fans would want to see him playing a darker character. He never took an acting lesson. Profiled in "American Classic Screen Interviews" (Scarecrow Press). [2010] Cartoonist C.C. Beck claimed that he modeled the 1940s superhero, Captain Marvel after Fred MacMurray. His mother, Maleta Martin, died in 1965 aged 85.

Near the end of his acting career, he was a spokesperson for Greyhound Bus Lines in the 1970s. Was the only actor to appear in all 380 episodes of My Three Sons (1960) on both (ABC) and (CBS) networks. Best remembered by the public for his starring role as Steve Douglas on My Three Sons (1960). After his role on The Swarm (1978), he retired from acting at age 70. His future My Three Sons (1960) co-star, Tim Considine , worked with him in the movie The Shaggy Dog (1959). Best friends with William Demarest , from 1935 to his death in 1983. Suffered a number of health problems for 13 years before his death, from throat cancer to leukemia. He also suffered a stroke at Christmas 1988. Was not the producer's first choice for the role of Steve Douglas on My Three Sons (1960). He got the role only because Eddie Albert turned it down to focus on his movie career. Began his career as a contract player for Paramount in 1934.

Was raised in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, where his mother had been born in 1880. Before he was a successful actor, he was a member of the Gus Arnheim Orchestra from 1930-31 and sang the vocal refrain on the record "All I Want Is Just One", recorded on March 30, 1930 and issued on Victor 22384. Was a lifelong heavy smoker that led to throat cancer and emphysema, which contributed to his death. Remained good friends with Stanley Livingston , during and after My Three Sons (1960). He had 8 hobbies - camping, spending time with family, boxing, golfing, fishing, singing, traveling and dancing. Taught his future My Three Sons (1960) co-star, Beverly Garland , how to play golf. He tried to get into the military service during World War II, but a fluctuated ear prevented him from attending, therefore, he stayed in Hollywood, continued making movies and did everything he could to help the war effort and afterwards, helped the Hollywood community did his part in the process of rebuilding. His musical career eventually led him to Broadway. Was a conservative Republican.

Had played both the violin and saxophone, just before he entered high school. Graduated from Beaver Dam High School in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, in 1926. During Maleta's pregnancy, she and Frederick Sr. both traveled to Kankakee, Illinois, where Frederick Jr. was born. At Carroll College (now Carroll University), he played a variety of local bands and nightclubs. Second-only to Lucille Ball and John Ritter , MacMurray performed a lot of physical comedy on My Three Sons (1960). His father, Frederick MacMurray, died when he was only 5. Before he was a successful actor, he once worked in a department store, selling appliances, among everything that he did. According to daughter Kate, Fred and wife June Haver were introduced to each other by John Wayne . His physical likeness inspired the appearance of DC Comics' character Captain Marvel. In 1951, RKO Radio Pictures tried to compose a film noir entitled "The Sins of Sarah Ferry". The story was about a courthouse clerk in Binghamton, New York who finds herself falling in love with a beautiful liar whose accused of armed robbery as well as a hit run charge involving a death.

The cast would have starred Laraine Day , Fred MacMurray, Yvonne De Carlo , Hugh Beaumont , Glenn Ford , Howard Duff , and Evelyn Keyes , with the studio wanting to shoot on location in Binghamton and neighboring Johnson City. This project never materialized because the plot was considered to close of a generic step-up of Double Indemnity (1944) and the studio never received a reply via phone call or standard mail from the Binghamton Courthouse or then Mayor Donald Kramer granting them permission to film on location in the area and negotiate a fair range of payment. Based on that neglect, the studio immediately canceled this project and moved on. In the early 1930s, he was the vocalist for Gus Arnheim's Coconut Grove Orchestra. MacMurray played the baritone saxophone in high school with the American Legion Band. After buying a saxophone with his own money he earned in a pea-canning factory, he created his own three piece orchestra called "Mac's Melody Boys." He performed in nightclubs, dance halls and vaudeville.

The character design of the Fawcett Comics (later DC Comics) superhero Captain Marvel (now Shazam) was said to have been based on him. Was a Boy Scout. Acting mentor of Stanley Livingston . The appearance of the famous DC Comics character Captain Marvel is based on him. My Three Sons - Show News, Reviews, Recaps and Photos - TV.com EDIT "MY THREE SONS" is the story of a Mid-West Aeronautical Engineer who watches his family grow up. This seemingly innocuous and simple, but effective sitcom, was a huge hit and a cornerstone of television's 'family programming' era in the 1960s. Second next to "The Adventures Of Ozzie & Harriet" as television's longest running family sitcom, "My Three Sons" was created by former "Leave It To Beaver" alumnus George Tibbles (1913-87). Executive Producer Don Fedderson (1913-94) campaigned the series as a probable vehicle for movie veteran Fred MacMurray (1908-91), who was reluctant to star in it at all. He spoke to Robert Young, of "Father Knows Best" fame and his suspicions were confirmed.

He'd be working seven days a week and would barely see his real life family. Finally he gave in after the Producers guaranteed that they could have enough scripts available ahead of time to warrant filming the show within a set sixty five day period. He agreed to this, and so for example, all the scenes set in the kitchen of many different episodes were all shot together in one day, all out of sequence, which were then later edited into each episode in order. Co-star William Frawley (1887-1966), used to years of filming "I Love Lucy" in sequence before a captive studio audience and performed like a play, never got used to this schizophrenic method of filming. And thus this technique was dubbed 'The MacMurray Method' and was also used by Brian Keith on the "Family Affair" series, coincidentally also a Don Fedderson Production. Of course, the "MacMurray Method" isn't particularly novel in its creation (it is, after all, how most feature films are shot, and a method probably most comfortable and familiar to the film actor MacMurray), but its introduction to TV production methods was certainly innovative at the time.

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW: When the series began in 1960, the boys were aged 18 (Mike), 14 (Robbie) and 8 (Chip). They were played by Tim Considine, Don Grady and Stanley Livingston, respectively. At the beginning of the series, storylines centred on the family's adventures in suburbia, and was perhaps the hybrid of what was to become the era of the Dom-Com (Domestic Sitcom). Steve Douglas also spent a good deal of time fending off attractive women who wanted to marry him and take over that loveable ready made family. The 'woman' in their lives was Bub O'Casey, Steve's maternal father in law, who did all the cooking, cleaning and chores. Other regulars in the early years were Peter Brooks as Robbie's best friend Hank Ferguson, and Ricky Allen as Sudsy Pfeiffer, Chip's best friend. The first of the show's format changes began at the start of the 1963-64 season. Meredith MacRae (1944-2000) was introduced as Sally Morrison, the girlfriend to eldest son Mike.

They would become engaged and eventually marry. Meanwhile, Chip's new pal Ernie Thompson (co-star Stanley Livingston's real-life brother, Barry) was introduced and he would ultimately become a permanent part of the Douglas household. During the 1964-65 season, Frawley left the show for health reasons and Bub was written out of the show and replaced with his cantankerous younger brother Charley, a retired sailor played by William Demarest (1892-1983), whose crusty disposition masked a soft heart. At the start of the 1965-66 season, when the show moved from ABC to CBS, Mike and Sally got married in the very first Color episode, and moved back East so that Mike could accept a job teaching psychology on the college level. (Actor Tim Considine had at 24, outgrown the role and wanted out of the series to pursue a Directing career, which ultimately never eventuated). To re-establish the 'three sons', Steve subsequently adopted orphan child Ernie, who was not permitted to accompany his foster parents in their move to the orient.

Things went along much the same for the next two seasons, although now the sons were Robbie, Chip and Ernie. Mike would never be referred to again after a few episodes. In a dramatic production move, the series, which for the first seven seasons was filmed mainly on Stage 11 at Desilu Studios in Hollywood, had to up anchor and begin filming at the former Republic Studios site, now rechristened the CBS Studio Center in Studio City, California. This necessitated moves behind and in front of the cameras. Lucille Ball, who by 1962 had bought out her ex-husband Desi Arnaz to take total control of Desilu, was, in February, 1967 talked into a deal by chief executive Charles Bludhorn of the giant Gulf and Western conglomerate, into selling Desilu. As G&W now owned Paramount Studios, Desilu was absorbed into this operation. To facilitate the placement of schedules for various TV series that lensed their shows at Desilu, all were forced to find other burgeoning accommodations.

"My Three Sons" complimented the move to the CBS Studio Center (the Columbia Broadcasting System now owning the show) by introducing a new storyline at the start of the 1967-68 season, where Steve Douglas transfers to California, and the family moves to North Hollywood. (Thus, a new house, and new studio facilities). Although the adjustment was not too pleasant many of the Douglas's new acquaintances were not too friendly at first, there were good sides to the move. Robbie fell in love with college student Kathleen Miller (Tina Cole), and their romance blossomed into marriage. At the beginning of the following season 1968-69, the newly weds discovered that Katie was pregnant, and during the season she gave birth to triplets; three sons of course. Season 1969-70 brought new love to father Steve Douglas in the form of Barbara Harper (Beverly Garland), Ernie's English teacher. They were eventually married and Barbara's five year old daughter Dodie (Dawn Lyn), whom Steve subsequently adopted, also joined the family.

Even original youngest son Chip (who was by now 18) got into the act, eloping with fellow college student Pauline ('Polly') Williams (Ronne Troup) in the 1970-71 season. Adopted brother Ernie was the only one of the sons not to get married on the show. As if the sprawling family had not gotten big enough already, the start of the final season (1971-72) saw a four part related episode that was sort of a continuation of a storyline that began in the 1963-64 season. Steve's Scottish nobleman cousin Fergus McBain Douglas (enacted by Fred MacMurray; voiced by Alan Caillou) came to the United States in search of a wife to take back to Scotland. In its later years, as the of the Douglas family grew on "My Three Sons" and separated into individual households, episodes could very rarely include the entire group. More and more often, they dealt with the specific problems of a large cast of regulars, with different members taking the spotlight from episode to episode.

These multi-story elements were the brainchild of the show's creator and head writer for its twelve seasons, George Tibbles, who penned a massive 95 scripts of the series during this period. 16 of these were as a co-writer, in addition to him overseeing the work of the contributing staff writers during his tenure as Story Editor/Supervisor. "My Three Sons" never changed much in only in structure, its format changes having been discussed with the writing staff which increased the show's longevity with natural progressions for each character. For its time and of its type, the show was extremely well written and the writing of the series doesn't get enough credit to this day. As the series only filmed several months out of the year, the same Director was usually employed, which gave the show the behind the scenes continuity it probably needed. When the show was finally cancelled it had been running for twelve years and in reruns has run many, many more. By today's standards it appears wholesome, tame and perhaps slightly dated, but it's a slice of life that all of us can appreciate and learn from. One thing is certain. For all of its detractors, the series remains a favourite all over the world.

The show's huge catalogue of 380 half hour episodes is a lasting legacy for Fred MacMurray and his TV family that will never be forgotten. While never a top ten hit during its original run, thanks to syndication the show remains extremely popular and continues to win new fans, young and old for its effective way of depicting an all-male family that did all-male things, even in its simplicity and its naiveté. The original Black and White episodes, considered by most fans as the show's best, were held back from syndication until the 1980s and enjoyed a new lease of life on Cable Television until the late 90s. The Color episodes are in constant syndication and are the only ones being distributed across the U.S. as of this writing (Jan. 2002). As long as TV stations are in need of quality programming the series will hopefully be played regularly to a whole new generation of audience. WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Fred MacMurray (b. August 30, 1908 in Kankakee, Illinois) died on November 5, 1991 aged 83, of pneumonia as a result of contracting chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

MacMurray's off-screen role in the series was purely financial. A deal with Executive Producer Don Fedderson named MacMurray a silent partner, in effect giving him a 50% ownership stake in the series. In his 70s after he had all but retired from the business as one of Hollywood's wealthiest citizens, thanks to shrewd property investment deals among other business ventures, Fred suffered for a while with throat cancer. Sadly missed by all of us. The plaque in his mausoleum crypt at Holy Cross cemetery in Culver City, California says "Forever in the hearts of your family" (indeed!) which was arranged by his second wife, actress June Haver, to whom he was married for 37 years until his death. (June passed away aged 79 in 2005 and is now interred with him). He is survived by four children; two were adopted during his first marriage to the late actress Lillian LaMont, (Robert and Susan), and then in 1956 he and June adopted twin baby girls Katie and Laurie.

Known as a devoted husband and father, no one ever talks of Fred as ever being a great actor, but when you think of it he never really gave a bad performance, and for the sheer number of movies and television shows he made, that's a pretty good epitaph for anybody in show business. William Frawley (b. February 26, 1887 in Burlington, Iowa) died on March 3, 1966 a week after his 79th Birthday from a massive coronary, while strolling down Hollywood Boulevard after seeing a movie. His constant companion, a male nurse, carried him into the nearby Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel but he was pronounced dead on arrival at Hollywood Receiving Hospital. His funeral was held at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in Los Angeles and he is buried in the San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, California. Tracing his show business roots back to vaudeville, he was also a prolific character actor who appeared in more than 150 feature films from as early as 1916 and usually but not always was featured in comedic roles.

Bill is best remembered for his long running role on "I Love Lucy" (1951-57) as the irascible Fred Mertz. Perhaps appropriately, his last performance was a cameo on an episode of "The Lucy Show" which aired in late 1965. William Demarest (b. February 27, 1892 in St. Paul, Minnesota) died on December 27, 1983 aged 91, from a heart attack, after a long battle with prostate cancer. One of the true stalwarts of the entertainment industry, he is one of the few performers who can lay claim to being there from the very beginning; he appeared uncredited alongside Al Jolson in Warner Bros. first ever talking motion picture, "The Jazz Singer" in 1927. He was a welcome face in many vintage movies where he usually played in support of the leads, and was instantly recognizable to audiences even if people didn't know his name.

His career started when he was a headliner in vaudeville in the days before World War I and his last appearance was in a 1978 telemovie which capped off a remarkable 73-year career in show business. He was retired and living in Palm Springs, California at the time of his death, and he is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. Meredith MacRae (b. May 30, 1944 in Houston, Texas) died on July 14, 2000 aged 56, of complications from surgery for brain cancer. The daughter of the late actor Gordon MacRae, Meredith had her own talk show in the 1980s called "Mid-Morning L.A." and she won an Emmy for her work on the show in 1986. Married three times, her only child Allison was born in 1975 during her second marriage (1969-87) to actor Greg Mullavey. She became a successful producer and garnered many awards during her long career.

She did a series of acclaimed lectures to major companies and organizations, taught a in film and TV production at Chapman University, and recorded over a dozen best-selling books on tape. Former L.A. mayor Tom Bradley called her one of that city's most outstanding businesswomen. As per her wishes and because her hobbies had included water skiing and scuba diving she was cremated and her ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean. Beverly Garland (b. October 17, 1926 in Santa Cruz, California) died on December 5, 2008 aged 82 after a short illness. Beverly was the widow of land developer Fillmore Crank to whom she was married for 39 years until his death in 1999. She ran with the help of three of four of her grown children, the Beverly Garland Holiday Inn, located in North Hollywood which is a few blocks from Universal Studios. Until her death she was still occasionally active in show business, and was bestowed the honor of of being inducted into the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters Hall of Fame, and celebrated the beginning of her "second" fifty years in show business in 2001.

In recent years she had a recurring role on the series "Seventh Heaven". Garland's hotel is also the Los Angeles site of the famed annual celebrity autograph & collector's conventions. Don Grady (b. June 8, 1944 in San Diego, California) died on June 27, 2012 aged 68 after a long battle with cancer. Don began his career in show business and started where so many others have, at Disney. Don was one of the original Mousketeers, before landing his long-running role on "My Three Sons". During the series he was able to parlay his interest in music into a second career and left the show to become a reputable composer of film and television, although it took him almost ten years to finally make a living from it. His most recent credits include music for theme park attractions at Universal Studios as well as productions on the Lifetime and Discovery Channels. Married for the second time to Ginny, he is the father of two children, Joey and Tessa.

Born Don Agrati, he is the son of a former talent agent and was the older brother of the late actress Lani O'Grady (1954-2001) who played Mary Bradford on the TV series "Eight Is Enough" (1977-81). In a recent TV Guide interview, Don said he still got mail from people who remembered the show and are thankful for its family values. He also said he grew extremely proud of the show over the years. Be sure to stop by - now his tribute site, to check out all about Don's musical career. 2008 also marked Don's 50th Anniversary in show business! Tim Considine (b. December 31, 1940 in Los Angeles, California): Tim, is now a well known sports photographer and writer involved in auto racing, which takes him all over the country. His most recent book, "American Grand Prix Racing: A Century of Drivers & Cars" - is an award winning definitive account of U.S. drivers in Grand Prix events, and was published in 1997.

Divorced from actress Charlotte Stewart, he is now re-married to Willett Hunt and has a 29 year old son named Chris. Now basically retired from acting, Tim isn't afraid to go back to his roots however; he appeared in the reunion movie "The New Adventures Of Spin and Marty" in 2000 reprising the role of the original Spin Evans, the character he portrayed on the old Walt Disney series of shorts from 1955-58, which began as "The Adventures of Spin and Marty", a segment of "The Mickey Mouse Club". Recently as 2003 Tim also appeared as a supporting actor in the family TV movie, "The Monster Makers". Stanley Livingston (b. November 24, 1950 in Los Angeles, California): Stan is now the founder and Chief Executive Officer of "Kids In Show Biz, Inc". He has written feature films and directed commercials. Through his production company Premier Entertainment Group, he produced a feature film called "Checkers" in 2000 and the following year directed all 20 Episodes of a new children's TV Series for PBS.

He was married to a dancer named Sandra at age 18 and the union which lasted six years, produced a daughter named Samantha, born in 1970. In recent years he has created stained glass artwork for celebrity clients including Tom Hanks and Lorenzo Lamas. He often sold his items through e-bay, but these days is all about showing actors and parents of actors the pitfalls of the industry and what to do to combat that. Check out his informative website at Barry Livingston (b. December 17, 1953 in Los Angeles, California): Barry has had the most active post-series career. Married to Karen, with two children named Hailey and Spencer, Barry continued acting with roles in a host of made for TV movies of the week. This was followed by summer acting workshops and off-Broadway productions in New York. In the 90s, had a semi-recurring role on "Lois and Clark: The Adventures of Superman". Like his older brother Stanley, Barry has dabbled in directing and writing, but he's mainly a character actor.

His most recent credits include guest star appearances on the popular television shows "Ally McBeal", "The West Wing", "Will and Grace", "Boston Public" and "Roswell". In 2011, he released his autobiography, aptly titled 'The Importance of Being Ernie'. Tina Cole (b. August 4, 1943 in Hollywood, California): Tina, the daughter of Yvonne King and the late Buddy Cole (of "The King Family" singers fame) is divorced from her second husband, Fillmore Crank Jr., stepson of her "My Three Sons" co-star Beverly Garland. In the last decade, she has worked with a "looping group" doing voice-over work for national television series and movies. With a teenaged son and a six month old baby boy (from her first marriage to producer Volney Howard III) Tina moved to Sacramento in 1982, and she has been the resident director of the Junior League of that city's Children's Theater for some years. By 1985 two daughters completed her family. Although divorced in 1995, her life still centers around her four children.

Now remarried, a mom and a mother-in-law, apart from a recent local morning television talk show in 1999, her latest theatrical credits include the musical "I Do, I Do" and a starring role in the play "Six Women with Brain Death" in 2001. Tina also taught acting at a prominent local drama school for a few years but is now retired. Still stunningly beautiful, it's hard to believe that Tina is now in her late 60s! Dawn Lyn (b. January 11, 1963 in Hollywood, California): Dawn found it difficult to make the transition from child star to young adult. While she managed to appear in a few guest star roles during her teens like "Barnaby Jones", "The Streets of San Francisco" and "Wonder Woman", in effect, her career was stymied by her small stature and youthful appearance. The younger sister of former pop idol Leif Garrett, Dawn left the entertainment industry to pursue other interests. She married an architect named Michael Whitby in 1990, but it ended in divorce after nine years. Today, Dawn is happy and living her life out of the spotlight.

She has a great time being involved with the local community theater and civic/volunteer activities, is still in contact with her co-stars and loves them like family. Dawn remarried in 2006 to John Reese, and as a result of her husband's career, she relocated in September 2007 to Germany to be with him. They lived there for nearly five years and have now returned to California as of late 2012. Like her co-stars, she was deeply saddened to hear that her TV mother Beverly Garland (with whom she had always kept in touch) passed away at the end of 2008. Ronne Troup (b. June 10, 1945): Ronne, who is now in her late 60s has kept a low profile with guest appearances but still occasionally acts and does commercials. The daughter of the late Bobby Troup and stepdaughter of the late Julie London, she had a recurring role on the night-time soap "Knots Landing" in the 80s and has appeared recently on programs like "The Practice", "E.R." and "The West Wing".

Ronne is the younger sister of Cynnie, who was a script editor on their father's series "Emergency" in the early 70s. She has been maried twice and has been very happy in her own life, and is blessed to have two daughters, Bridget and Jamie Lawrence, and a wonderful husband, Bob Bayles. In spite of a career in acting, she has always enjoyed writing, since her days at UCLA when she imagined being a writer. I believe that in recent years, apart from the odd guest appearance on shows like "Coldcase" she has been teaching elementary school in the Los Angeles area. The Todd Triplets (Joseph, Michael & Daniel) (b. August 5, 1967): After being contacted by the boys' mother Lynn and their stepfather David, I can let you know (at the time of this writing) that Joe, his wife and two kids are living in Colorado Springs. Joe has now retired from active service. He was an 'E7' in the medical unit. Mike is also in the army, and is based in Washington. He too is an 'E7' and will retire in two years.

He is now divorced and has two daughters in Hawaii where he spent four years on active duty before going to Washington. Danny is married and lives in Houston. He spent five years in the Army and settled in Houston where he is the owner of a company that installs yard water and lighting systems. The boys have spent many years overseas and all speak several languages. According to their Mom, they are happy and haven't done any TV work since they were 16 years old. First Telecast: September 29, 1960 on ABC. Last Telecast: August 24, 1972 on CBS. Number of Episodes: 380 (x half-hours). (184 Black and White, 196 Color). A Don Fedderson Production, Distributed Worldwide by CBS Television Distribution International Ltd. Original Broadcast History: ABC Sept. 1960-Sept.1963 Thurs. 9:00-9:30pm Sept. 1963-Sept.1965 Thurs. 8:30-9:00pm CBS Sept. 1965-Aug. 1967 Thurs. 8:30-9:00pm Sept.

1967-Sept.1971 Sat. 8:30-9:00pm Sept. 1971-Dec. 1971 Mon. 10:00-10:30pm Jan. 1972-Aug. 1972 Thurs. 8:30-9:00pm moreless Don Grady, Who Played Robbie on ‘My Three Sons,’ Dies at 68 - The New York Times The New York Times Television |Don Grady, Robbie on ‘My Three Sons,’ Is Dead at 68 Search Don Grady, who played Chip and Ernie’s wholesome, heartthrob big brother Robbie on the long-running television sitcom “My Three Sons,” died on Wednesday at his home in Thousand Oaks, Calif. He was 68. A family spokesman said the cause was cancer. Mr. Grady, a versatile musician and singer who got his start in television as a Mouseketeer on “The Mickey Mouse Club,” considered music his vocation and his acting career something of an accident.

At 14, he was an aspiring musician in high school who played ukulele, drums, accordion and clarinet while acting on the side when he was called to audition for the part of Robbie Douglas, one of three sons of the wistful, pipe-smoking widower Steve Douglas, played by Fred MacMurray. The producers had already cast another actor. “But, for reasons I never found out, they needed to replace him,” Mr. Grady wrote in the forward to “Fred MacMurray,” a 2007 biography by Charles Tranberg. “I was summoned to a hastily held audition at noon, and by 3 p.m. I was cast as the new Robbie. My acting abilities probably helped, but I still believe the reason I got the part was because the cleft in my chin looked like Fred’s.” Photo Don Grady, center, surrounded by fellow “My Three Sons” cast members: clockwise from top right, William Demarest, Barry Livingston, Stanley Livingston and Fred MacMurray.

Credit CBS, via Photofest He played Robbie throughout the life of the show, more than 300 episodes from 1960 to 1972, although his place in the fictional family hierarchy shifted slightly over time. He was Mr. Douglas’s middle son in the first few years, until the role of the original older brother, Mike (Tim Considine), was written out of the script and a new brother — the adopted son, Ernie (Barry Livingston) — was written in. Chip Douglas (Stanley Livingston, Barry’s older brother in real life) took Robbie’s place in the middle. Mr. Grady’s Robbie was always the coolest son. He was the teen idol of the cast, his face having been featured on the cover of teen magazines since his days as a Mouseketeer. Like Ricky Nelson of “Ozzie and Harriet,” Robbie sang in a band , and it performed on the show. Advertisement Continue reading the main story As the eldest son for most of the show’s run, Mr. Grady was the family’s earnest grown-up-in-training and the most frequent recipient of the fatherly advice that capped almost every episode.

“Now, Rob, do you really think that’s the right thing to do?” Mr. MacMurray said in the 13th episode of Season Four, poking the air with his pipe.“Well, no, Dad,” Robbie answered. “Not when you put it like that.” Photo Mr. Grady in 2003. Credit Robert Mora/Getty Images Don Louis Agrati was born in San Diego on June 8, 1944. His parents divorced when he was in his teens, and his mother, Mary, became a theatrical agent. One of his two sisters, the actress Lani O’Grady, died in 2001. He is survived by his wife, Ginny, his two children, Joey and Tessa, his mother, and another sister, Marilou Reichel. Mr. Grady appeared in other shows besides “My Three Sons,” including “The Rifleman” and “Wagon Train.” But he focused mainly on his music after the series ended, forming a pop singing group, “The Yellow Balloon,” which recorded a song of the same name in 1967. It was the band’s only hit, reaching No. 25 on the Billboard pop charts.

He later composed music for television, theater and films, including the theme song to Phil Donahue’s talk show, songs for the TV series “The Kid-a-Littles” and the 1985 film “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” He was a co-writer of “Keep the Dream Alive,” which was recorded by Herbie Hancock, Della Reese and others for the Jazz to End Hunger project. Stanley Livingston said in an interview on Thursday that Mr. Grady was a lot like the character he played on “My Three Sons.” “He had a lot of charm,” said Mr. Livingston. “He was a good guy to be with. People loved him. He really was a wonderful big brother.” A version of this article appears in print on June 29, 2012, on Page A23 of the New York edition with the headline: Don Grady, 68, Robbie on ‘My Three Sons’. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe A Dad for All Seasons A Dad for All Seasons Pinterest FOR A DOZEN YEARS, FRED MACMURRAY was pop culture’s perfect pop.

As the widowed father, Steve Douglas, on TV’s My Three Sons (1960-72), MacMurray, with his affable grin and becalming pipe, embodied the ideal of a passing era, the benevolent American dad who shared our values of home, hearth and a friendly supper table. Less judgmental than Robert (Father Knows Best) Young, less impulsive than Michael (Little House on the Prairie) Landon, less frazzled than Ozzie Nelson and not quite so smug as Bill Cosby, MacMurray’s brand of fatherhood emphasized the traditional heartland virtues of patience, probity and a dollop of affectionate good humor in a time of disaffection and strife on campus, in the streets and in the living room. Perhaps that’s why MacMurray, though he’s scarcely appeared on prime time in nearly two decades, is remembered fondly by two generations of viewers: Even as parents and children were squaring off across the battlements of the ’60s, he made fatherhood look as easy as fixing a leaky faucet. MacMurray also made acting look deceptively effortless.

For all of his paternal beneficence on the tube, and his post-Dagwood Bumstead bumbling in a string of Walt Disney movies, notably The Shaggy Dog (1959) and The Absent-Minded Professor (1961), MacMurray the film actor was really at his best when he was up to no good. MacMurray showed a sinister streak skulking behind that ingratiating grin, and he used it to create the chilling insurance agent who turns to murder with Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity (1944), the conniving naval officer in The Caine Mutiny (1954) and the philandering executive in 1960’s Oscar winner The Apartment. Though in later years he admitted regretting those nasty roles because he feared they made viewers dislike him (as an ex-fan once informed him on the sidewalk), he also knew what it was about his acting style that made him so effective as a villain. “Whether I play a heavy or a comedian,” he said, “I always start out as Smiley MacMurray, a decent Rotarian type.

If I play a heavy, there comes a point in the film when the audience realizes I’m really a heel.” Offscreen, he really wasn’t. In fact MacMurray was much like his TV persona, an amiable, unaffected husband and father who just happened to be one of Hollywood’s enduring stars. And so a sizable retinue of family and friends mourned last week when MacMurray, 83, died of pneumonia at St. John’s Hospital and Health Center in Santa Monica. Said actress Beverly Garland, 65, who played his wife in the last seasons of My Three Sons (after the show’s producers decided it was time Steve remarried): “I’m shocked. I knew he had been ill, but I didn’t want him to go away. I wanted him always to be there.” So, of course, did his real-life family. At his bedside when he died was his wife of 37 years, actress June Haver, 65 (who came out of a convent to marry MacMurray a year after his first wife, actress Lillian Lamont, died in 1953), as well as their adopted daughter Kate, 35, a screenwriter.

MacMurray is also survived by Kate’s twin, Laurie, who owns an advertising company, and two children adopted with his first wife: Robert, 45, a Hawaii construction company owner, and Susan, 50, an Arkansas housewife. MacMurray had seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild. He was also close to his TV family, whose members were eloquent in their recollections of MacMurray on the set and of his private life as well. Tim Considine, 50, the eldest son on My Three Sons, remembers seeing MacMurray and Haver at a tribute a few years back. “She took wonderful care of him,” he says. “He wasn’t physically strong at the time. She made sure everything was right for him without being intrusive or overly protective.” Hollywood benefits and parties were never MacMurray’s cup of grog anyway, sick or well. “He wasn’t your glamor-boy kind of star,” says Barry Livingston, 37, who played the series’ adopted son, Ernie.

“He was an outdoorsman type who was always traipsing around the world to go to some golf tournament.” Livingston adds, “He was a very humble, down-to-earth man who felt extremely uncomfortable with his celebrity. There was a real sweetness about the man, but he wasn’t anybody’s fool either.” Assuredly. By the time of his death, MacMurray had become one of the richest actors in Hollywood. By 1943 he was reportedly earning some $420,000 a year, making him the highest-paid actor in Hollywood. He also invested early and wisely, and when Don Fedderson, a TV producer and personal friend, approached him about doing My Three Sons in 1959, MacMurray agreed only after he was offered a partnership in the production and guaranteed that he would work no more than three months a year. (He shot his scenes first; everything else was filmed around him.) He also didn’t get rich by squandering his money: MacMurray enjoyed a reputation for frugality that would have done Jack Benny proud. Don Grady, 47, who played the second son, Robbie, remembers that MacMurray used to brown-bag his lunch to the set.

Adds Beverly Garland: “I remember once the wardrobe man coming in and saying, ‘Fred, I really think that we should buy a dozen new shirts for you.’ And Fred replied, ‘Buy a dozen new shirts? Why don’t you just turn the collars around?’ ” But MacMurray was also a marvelous raconteur who could break up a gathering by recounting awkward love scenes he had filmed in an era when the unofficial Hollywood censor’s rule was, One foot on the bedroom floor at all times. Considine remembers a bash when he was dancing with June, and Fred jumped up on the bandstand and commandeered a saxophone—the instrument that had launched his career years before. Says Considine: “He was really in his element.” Frederick Martin MacMurray was born into that musical element on Aug. 30, 1908, in Kankakee, Ill., where his father, Frederick, a concert violinist, was playing on tour. An only child, young Fred was packed off to military school in Quincy, Ill., after Frederick and his mother, Maleta, separated.

In his teens, he settled with his mother in Beaver Dam, Wis., where he earned 10 varsity letters in three sports at the local high school and a certain renown as a saxophonist. A sinewy six-footer, Mac-Murray won an American Legion scholarship to Carroll College in Waukesha, Wis., where he studied music and led his own band, Mac’s Melody Boys. Young Fred had artistic talent as well and left Carroll to study at the Chicago Art Institute, where he bankrolled himself by playing in a dance band. He changed direction once more in 1928 when his mother decided she wanted to go to Los Angeles; Fred agreed to drive. Once there, he picked up jobs as a movie extra until signing on as a singer and saxophonist with a vaudeville band, the California Collegians. The Collegians were called to New York City to appear in the Broadway comedy Three’s a Crowd; shortly thereafter, MacMurray won the part of Bob Hope’s understudy in the Broadway musical Roberta. During the production of Roberta, he met a dancer, Lillian Lamont; they dated for two years and married in 1936.

The couple eventually adopted two children, Robert and Susan, and Lillian gave up dancing for homemaking. MacMurray’s career, meanwhile, began to thrive. After his film debut in the 1934 comedy Friends of Mr. Sweeney, MacMurray got calls for sophisticated-male roles until his stylish, black-tie looks landed him the lead in The Gilded Lily opposite Claudette Colbert. That, along with a smooth performance later in the year as the rich boy from the heights opposite poor-but-dreamy Katharine Hepburn in Alice Adams, established MacMurray as one of the favorite charmers in 1930s screwball comedies. MacMurray sometimes wondered how he got there. As he once put it, “When I read some things other movie people say about their work, I think I’m in the wrong business. I don’t have any of those deep thoughts. I’m just myself—that’s what I’m hired for.” Writer-director Billy Wilder saw MacMurray differently—partly out of sheer desperation. Wilder needed a male lead to play opposite Barbara Stanwyck in the dark tale of murder and betrayal Double Indemnity.

“Fred was my very last choice,” Wilder remembers. “I tried every other leading man around, but they all stayed away because they were afraid to play a murderer.” So Wilder pursued MacMurray, who proved reluctant for other reasons. “I worked on him,” Wilder continues, “and he said, ‘Look, I’m a saxophone player.’ I told him now was the moment to make the big step, and he said, ‘I read the script and I loved it, but it requires acting.’ ” It did, but MacMurray held his own against Stanwyck and Edward G. Robinson with his hard-boiled portrayal of Waller Neff, the wisecracking insurance agent trapped in a scheming wife’s silken web. In 1953 his wife suddenly died, leaving MacMurray bereft. But on the set of Where Do We Go from Here? in 1944, he had met a young song-and-dance actress named June Haver. She had taken to a Catholic convent after the death of her fiancé but finally emerged and married MacMurray in 1954. They adopted Kate and Laurie two years later.

MacMurray’s second villain role, as the slippery Lieutenant Keefer in The Caine Mutiny (1954) with Humphrey Bogart and José Ferrer, was a success, and six years later Billy Wilder asked him to play another heel, Shirley MacLaine’s married lover in The Apartment. By then there was no question of MacMurray’s acting reach, but he had already returned to the lighter road with Disney’s Shaggy Dog and later with The Absent-Minded Professor, in which MacMurray made flubber a household substance. Meanwhile, his friend Don Fedderson approached him about My Three Sons. MacMurray relented after his conditions were met—mainly that he get to spend nine uninterrupted months a year with his family at their sprawling colonial home in Brentwood, Calif., and their ranch north of San Francisco. Real home foibles sometimes became grist for Sons: MacMurray did get his tie stuck in a car door, as did his alter ego, Steve Douglas, in a memorable episode. “There were bits and pieces that were translated into the show,” says Laurie.

Sons ran for 12 seasons, making the show second only to Ozzie & Harriet as network television’s longest-running sitcom. MacMurray, by then enormously wealthy, effectively withdrew from acting to family life, fishing streams and the golf course. Though he had been fixed forever as a national icon, MacMurray to his last days never quite understood his place in American hearts. At a 1986 tribute all he could say was, “Well, I’ve done pretty good for a guy who plays saxophone.” But Don Grady understands perfectly. Several years ago, he recalls, at a Hollywood Bowl reunion of the Disney Mouseketeers, the celebrities in the audience were introduced one by one to polite applause. But when the emcee came to MacMurray, Grady remembers, “You suddenly heard the whole bowl go ‘Ahhhhh!’ and this warm gush came out of everyone. I never realized until then what an effect he had on people.

What we’ve lost is that warm gush.” MARK GOODMAN with bureau reports from Los Angeles Show Full Article Don Grady, One of TV's 'My Three Sons,' Dies at 68 | Hollywood Reporter Don Grady, One of TV's 'My Three Sons,' Dies at 68 6:31 PM PDT 6/27/2012 by Mike Barnes COMMENTS The actor also was a Mouseketeer and an accomplished musician who scored the Blake Edwards comedy "Switch." Don Grady, a Mouseketeer on The Mickey Mouse Club who played son Robbie Douglas on the ABC and CBS series My Three Sons, one of the longest-running family sitcoms in history, died Wednesday of cancer in Thousand Oaks, Calif. He was 68.

In 1960, three years after he was hired at age 13 as a Mouseketeer on the third season of ABC's Mickey Mouse Club, Grady began an 11-year run as Robbie on the sitcom My Three Sons, with Fred MacMurray starring as the widower dad, William Frawley (and later William Demarest) as the family housekeeper and Grady, Tim Considine (Mike), Stanley Livingston (Chip) and Barry Livingston (Ernie) as the sons. (Mike was written out at the start of the fifth season and Ernie was adopted, keeping the number of sons at three.) PHOTOS: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2012 My Three Sons, which debuted on ABC, moved to CBS in 1965 when ABC refused to finance the series' switch to color. With 12 seasons and 380 episodes produced, the Saturday night staple is second only to The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (14 seasons) as TV's longest-running live-action family sitcom. During the 1968-69 season, Grady's character and his wife Katie (Tina Cole) had triplets.

He departed the series in 1971 at the end of the 11th season when Robbie, now a structural engineer, moved to Peru to work on a bridge construction. A musical prodigy who had mastered several instruments including the clarinet and accordion by age 10, Grady appeared with his band The Greefs on My Three Sons and wrote two songs for the show. After the series ended, he and songwriter Gary Zekley formed the band Yellow Balloon, named for Zekley's 1967 sunshine pop hit; played with a folk-rock outfit called The Palace Guard; and toured with a group known as The Windupwatch Band, which included Daryl Dragon, later the male half of Captain & Tennille). In 1973, Grady recorded an album of his own songs (under his real name, Don Agrati) titled Homegrown for Elektra. It featured one track using the Army Reserve Band, of which he was then a member. In 2008, he released Boomer, a collection of songs written for and about the baby boomer generation.

Grady served as the composer for the 1991 Blake Edwards comedy Switch, starring Ellen Barkin and Jimmy Smits; wrote the theme song for the syndicated Phil Donahue Show; and was the force behind a Las Vegas multimedia stage show at the MGM Grand called EFX, which at various times in the late '90s starred Michael Crawford, David Cassidy, Tommy Tune and Rick Springfield. Grady also composed music for the live stunt shows at Universal Studios Hollywood and Florida (his score for The Wild, Wild, Wild West show ran for 14 years) and did the music for more than 30 Disney DVDs. Grady also starred in a national tour of the musical Pippin and had roles in the stage productions of Godspell and Damn Yankees. A native of San Diego who grew up in Lafayette, Calif., Grady appeared as a kid in several TV Westerns before My Three Sons, including Wagon Train, The Rifleman, Have Gun -- Will Travel, The Restless Gun and Zane Grey Theater. Survivors include his wife Ginny, his children Joey and Tessa, his sister Marilou Reichel, her husband Meryl, their daughter Kelly and husband Mike Edwards and his mother Mary.

His sister, Lani O'Grady, who played oldest sister Mary on the 1977-81 ABC series Eight Is Enough, died in 2001 at age 46.

Question: Which Hollywood star starred in the 50s show My Three Sons?
Answer: Fred MacMurray